Portishead nears completion of new album, curates ATP

As a musical movement, trip-hop was definitely limited to a specific time and place. Nowadays, once people hear those dusty breakbeats, the light jazz melodies and the diva warbling, they can more or less pin a typical trip-hop track to its mid-'90s U.K. home. On the flipside, however, the music of Portishead has proved remarkably durable in the decade-plus since the band graced the world with its staggering debut, Dummy. From the lurching, martial rhythm of "Mysterons" to the final bow of "Western Eyes," Portishead's two albums of original material effectively wrote and then closed the book on an entire genre.

Since a 1998 live release, the group has gone deathly silent, adding to its considerable legend. Although members have stayed active with side-projects, there has always been a hope that Portishead's extended hiatus would come to an end. Finally, a surprise reunion performance between Portishead's three principal members earlier this year got the ball rolling on a new album. Since then, producer/multi-instrumentalist Geoff Barrow has kept fans updated of the project's progress via the band's blog. The following entry appeared on Tuesday from Barrow:

"we went to london for a fews days to finish up. we worked in molko 9 back in ~Bristol now working on some art work and getting the live stuff together. i think one more day messing about with it and it will be done. then into the wonderful world of mastering.. [joke]"

Essentially, a new album is in the bag, although when it sees the light of day is anyone's guess at this point.

In the meantime, Portishead has focused its efforts on curating its own iteration of the long-running All Tomorrow's Parties festival, entitled "The Nightmare Before Christmas." As you might expect, the lineup blends all of the disparate genres that informed the band's first two albums: the ambient electronics of Aphex Twin, the layered post-rock of groups like Boris and Oneida, and a hip-hop delegation that boasts Stones Throw producer Madlib and Wu-Tang member GZA. Of course, Portishead itself will be on hand to perform as well. It all goes down Dec. 7-9 at the Butlins Holiday Centre in Minehead, U.K.. Check the link above for ticket information.

Related links:
Portishead on MySpace
[P] - A Portishead Fansite
YouTube: Portishead - "Sour Times" Live

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